Blog 11/18

THRIVE Director Notes

Posts on this Blog will be directed to help families see what is going on in our THRIVE Program.  Items discussed on the Blog have already occurred. To keep updated on what’s coming up please refer to the THRIVE activity calendar or UCM activity calendar.

First-Year Students:

University Foundations- Some students have gotten behind turning in work. Mrs. Southard requested those students to work in the THRIVE classroom when they are not in classes. Homework was due daily in class. Students were assigned a paper 3 to 5 pages about their life. They have been working on small assignments they can use to build this paper. I have requested all students to have a computer mouse. It makes highlighting misspelled words so much easier. Just using a computer, in general, is quicker.  I have already posted on edmodo.com the essay questions for the final. Students can print that off, complete it and bring it to class on Dec 6th and staple to their tests. Because they have access to the questions so early I have expecting great answers along with elaborating and explaining their statements. 

DILS (Daily Independent Living Skills)- This week in DILS, the students presented PowerPoints on careers they are interested in. The presentations included how much education is needed, how much that education might cost, beginning salaries and salary averages in Missouri and the U.S., job responsibilities and so forth. We have students interested in voice acting, teaching (special ed, math, preschool), law enforcement, childcare, coaching, and sports broadcasting among other interests. Students were surprised to learn the time and money involved in achieving their career goals, but they were in no way discouraged by this. It was a fun, and educational project.

Technology Literacy- We are working on our final project for Tech Lit this week. The students are creating an iMovie Trailer on their iPads. They were given the choice to work alone or with a partner. We have 4 students working independently, and they will continue to work on their movie trailers over Thanksgiving break. The rest of the class chose to work with a partner, and those iMovies are due Today, Friday, November 22nd before they leave for break. The reason for the different due dates is that partners won’t be together over the break. This ensures that both partners are equally involved in the project. The iMovie trailers will be shown in Tech Class the week after Thanksgiving break as their final project in Tech Lit.

Relationships class-  Wednesday at 2:00 students played Kahoots. A review for the final is December 6th. This week's topic was divorce. We discussed that we didn't want personal stories of families. We discussed statistics and how families can adjust to divorce. 

Second-Year Students:

Transition Planning I: We are finishing our book study of the “7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens”.  The students and I enjoy going through this book and utilizing the habits in our daily lives.  It is interesting that each student has a different habit that they like the best and the one they can relate to the best.  The students did a very good job in writing their reflections on each habit and how the habits relate to them. The transition final will be Dec. 10th and the final will consist of the reading/discussions we have had in class about the habits.

Internship I:  The students did their first mock interview this week.  The interview was informal but this should help the students be ready for their final mock interview during the week of Dec. 9th - 13th.  During this interview, the students need to dress professional, have their resume, use professional communication skills and make sure they have done their research.  

    The students had to ask their internship supervisors for a reference letter this week.  Once the students receive the letter, that letter will go into their portfolio and use it when students apply for jobs.  

Plato-  Students completing plato regularly. Some students even like it!! Good work students. 

THRIVE Activities: There were no THRIVE Activities this week.  Students were getting ready for Thanksgiving Break and getting homework completed.

Mentor Activities: 

None this week with Thanksgiving Break.  Have a great break.

Just a reminder that the pictures posted on the blog are typically just a sample of what is on Facebook.  So, if you want to see more and keep more updated, please go to our Facebook page - UCM-THRIVE.

Important upcoming dates:

Fall Break / December Finals:

 The dorms will open back up on Sunday at noon on December 1st.  

Finals for First-Year students will be the week following, Monday, December 2nd to Friday, December 6th.  First-Year students will be taking finals in their Elective and THRIVE classes this week.  We’ll have more specific information in later Blogs. The First-Year students will need to be out of the dorms by Friday the 6th or Saturday the 7th.  They will need to follow check-out procedures before they leave. The mentors and staff will go over the procedure the week before. If students don’t follow the procedures there can be a fee charged to their account.

Finals for Second-Year students will be during finals week, December 9th through the 13th.  The Second-Year students will need to be out of the dorms by Friday the 13th at 6 pm.  They will need to follow the check-out procedures before they leave. The mentors and staff will go over the procedure the week before. If students don’t follow the procedures there can be a fee charged to their account.   For Second-Year students here is the link to when their finals are. This can help you plan when should be done with finals. The THRIVE staff would like for students to be picked up after their last final. That way the students that are left in the dorm can have some quiet time for studying for their finals.

Spring Dorms Open:

The dorms will open back up on January 12th at noon for returning students for the Spring Semester.  The students will need to be moved back into their dorm by Sunday night. There won’t be a study hall on this Sunday.

"This blog is a programming blog written by the director and staff of the THRIVE Program on the University of Central Missouri campus.  This blog doesn't accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. 

The views and ideas expressed on this blog are purely the blog owners.  This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.  We are simply telling you what we plan to do in our program and using the blog to help spread what we are doing on a weekly basis."